In preparation for my Journey Grant, I've been searching the web for articles, videos, books, whatever I can get my hands on that pertains to globalization and education. There are interesting videos you can find on YouTube if you're interested in the pros and cons of globalization, globalization and education, or even just globalization.
While perusing through the worldwide web, I was on ASCD's website and I found an interesting chapter from a book (side note: if you're a teacher or just someone who is interested in education, you should look into becoming an ASCD member--they have some really interesting things accessible for educators). This book, titled World Class Education by Vivien Stewart, has a chapter titled "Globalization and Education" (pretty pertinent, right?). This chapter has some great information that you should read before I start my expedition into epics.
Firstly, Stewart talks about what globalization is. She discusses how the world has shrunk, or in Thomas Friedman's words, "became flat" due to globalization. She tells readers:
"Friedman's book described how technology and the fall of trade barriers have led to the integration of markets and nations, and enabled individuals, companies, and nation-states to reach around the world faster and cheaper than ever before. We see evidence of this interconnectedness in our lives every day—from the food we eat to the coffee we drink to the clothes we wear. Sports teams recruit talent from around the globe, and the iPhones we use to communicate are manufactured in more than 19 different countries."
There's how globalization has taken us over, folks. There's nothing we can do to stop it from happening, and she goes on to discuss how this phenomenon has influenced education. In the chapter, she talks about the growing global talent pool, the challenge from Asia, how the U.S. fails world standards of excellency and equity, comparison between U.S. students and other industrialized countries, what we can learn from having an international comparison is, the high cost of low educational outcomes, and the growing need for the U.S. to become a world-class.
I know this post is long, but I think Stewart's chapter is an interesting read. It'll get your brain juices flowing and allow for you to ponder education and globalization before I discuss why we need to teach epics in the classroom when our world is flat.
The link to Stewart's chapter is http://www.ascd.org/publications/books/111016/chapters/Globalization-and-Education.aspx
GO READ IT!
Signing off,
Cassy
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